Welp, today I’m another year older! Does anyone else forget how old they actually are the older they get? When my son asked me the other day how old I was turning, I had to double check with my husband….”Am I going to be 37 or 38?” He confirmed that I’m only going to be 37, so, phew! I’m not as close to 40 as I thought!

I feel like my 36th year was halfway productive. I was trucking right along September through March. I planned both my kid’s birthday parties, hosted holidays, had the kids active in school and tee ball and dance classes, planned an amazing trip to Spain (that we didn’t go on), started my photography business, and then that all came to a halt thanks to quarantine. Now that things are normalizing as much as they can, I’m ready to refocus and restart. I’ve put together 5 goals that I really want to focus on during my 37th year. I’m sharing them today so you can help keep me accountable!

5 goals for my 37th year

1. Be present – after spending months stuck at home with a 2 year old and 4 year old with nowhere to go and little to do thanks to the Texas heat, I’ve been pretty checked out. I plan to focus the time that the kids are at school on my business and then focus my time on the kids when they’re home. Setting a schedule and sticking to it will hopefully really help me be a better parent, better wife, better business owner, and better friend!
2. Make more time for me – in addition to scheduling work time and family time, I plan to incorporate some me time into my schedule! When I feel overwhelmed, I tend to shut down and procrastinate so taking some time to read a book, walk around Target, grab a patio lunch with friends, jump on the Peloton, or get a pedicure are all things I’m going to try to do for myself this year!
3. Be more spontaneous and don’t be afraid to say no – I tend to stay stuck in my comfort zone and not push my boundaries. On the flip side, I feel the pressure to consistently say yes and add things to my plate so as not to disappoint anybody. Have you guys read Glennon Doyle’s book “Untamed”? I haven’t yet (see goal #2!) but I read an excerpt that said that your job throughout your life is to disappoint as many people as it takes to not disappoint yourself. That statement really made an impact on me and I hope to stick by that mindset!
4. Grow my business – this is huge on my list. Photography is my passion and to be able to create and capture memories of my client’s newborn babies and families in pictures has been such a joy for me. I’ve put so many hours and so much work into Nikki Caviness Photography and I want to see it grow and succeed! My clients are a huge part of that growth and I’m so thankful for every single referral, Facebook or Instagram like or comment or share, and all of the amazing words of encouragement!
5. Remind myself that “I am good enough” – when you’re in a creative field, especially one in which your work is visual and people are buying your talent and work, its so hard to stop playing the comparison game. I find myself constantly comparing my work to other artists’ and thinking, “If only I edited this way….” or “Maybe I should incorporate more of this….” or “Why don’t I have as many followers as her?” The best advice given to me by my mentor is to “Stay in your lane.” I am editing the way I want to, in a way that feels like me, and shooting only what brings me joy. My style is not going to be for everyone and everyone isn’t going to be for me. And that’s okay. But there ARE people and there will be MORE people that want me to shoot their families and I’m so thankful! My work is unique to me and I’m proud of that! Refocusing on my work, staying in my lane, appreciating other photographers’ work, and learning from photographers I admire are important goals for me this year!

I’m looking forward to the big 3-7 and all this year holds for me and Nikki Caviness Photography. Thank you to all my clients, friends, and my family for your support!